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Model of Early Jurassic to Mid-Miocene Geological Evolution of the Back-Arc Sedimentary Basin of Northern Chile and Northwestern Argentina

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Model of Early Jurassic to Mid-Miocene Geological Evolution of the Back-Arc Sedimentary Basin of Northern Chile and Northwestern Argentina Model of Early Jurassic to Mid-Miocene Geological Evolution of the Back-Arc Sedimentary Basin of Northern Chile and Northwestern Argentina Terry Arcuri and George Brimhall Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-4767 [email protected] Abstract A model has been constructed from stratagraphic analysis and magmatic emplacement data in which variations of the sedimentary environments of northern Chile and Argentina from the early Jurassic to the mid-Miocene were compiled. From this data a series of maps at 2 million year intervals have been constructed and used to complete an animation depicting the evolution of the regional sedimentary and magmatic systems. This animation was generated using computer facilities at the University of California, Berkeley, running Canvas 6.0 and Ulead GIF Animator software. During the evolution of the region, numerous transgressive and regressive events occurred causing variations in the lithologies and sediment thickness deposited is various basins. Also apparent from the magmatic emplacement ages is the eastward migration of the magmatic arc from the west coast in the early Jurassic to the present location on the border of Chile and Argentina. Lithologic variations demonstrate the onset of Andean uplift by depicting the rapid accumulation of conglomerates in the basins near the active uplift areas of northeastern Chile in the late Tertiary. Jurassic transgressions entering from the west caused the magmatic arc to become separated from the coast of South America by a narrow, marine, back-arc basin. Regressions to the west tended to isolate sub-basins, which display distinct sedimentary histories recorded during the regressive intervals. The most extreme example of this occurred in the late-Jurassic (~154 Ma), when large sub-basins were isolated by a marine regression and underwent complete evaporation leading to the basin-wide precipitation of thick deposits of evaporite minerals such as gypsum and halite. The construction of sedimentary and magmatic depositional environment maps has led to better understanding of the evolution of northern Chile and Argentina, and in particular they allow for the examination of depositional environments present in specific locations for particular time intervals. These observations can assist in the geological interpretation of a region by showing such things as the sediments present in an area during magmatic emplacement. Current applications of this visualization model include regional provenance studies of chlorine and copper, both of which play essential roles in the varied ore deposits of Chile, Peru, Bolivia, and of Argentina. The model provides critical insight into the positions of key sampling locations necessary to evaluate hypotheses relating the migration of elements via mobile magmatic and aqueous fluids. Modeling of this type affords unique opportunities to investigate the large crustal scale on which transport processes operate during certain periods of geological time. Location Map Longitude 71 70 69 68 67 66 65 20 Iquique 21 Bolivia Olague Tupiza 22 23 Calama e d u t i t Antofagosta a L h t 24 u o S Chile 25 Salta Argentina 26 27 Tucuman Copiapo 28 Figure 1. Location map of the region depicted in the evolution animation. 2 Introduction The evolution of the Andean magmatic arc has been the subject of numerous investigations regarding it’s emplacement and migration, (Ishihara et al, 1984; Petersen, 1999; Sillitoe and KcKee, 1996) and the relationship between subduction and magmatism (Kay et al, 1999; Kay and Mpodozis, 2001) through geologic time. Similarly, studies were conducted investigating the structural development of the Andes, (Dallmeyer et al, 1996; Hartley et al, 2000, 1992; Marquillas and Salfity, 1988; Mon and Salfity, 1995; Reutter et al, 1988) and the sedimentology and stratigraphy of individual areas (Ardill et al., 1994, 1998; Gröschke et al., 1986, 1998; Harrington, 1961; Printz et al., 1994; Von Hillebrandt et al, 1986). This study incorporates all of these styles of data to investigate the geological evolution of the northern Chile, Argentina, and southern Bolivia as a whole from the early Jurassic through the mid-Miocene. The region investigated in this study ranges from 20° to 28° South Latitude and from 65° to 71° West Longitude, (figure 1). A model has been constructed from stratagraphic, sedimentologic, and magmatic emplacement data in which variations of the sedimentary environments of northern Chile and Argentina from the early Jurassic to the mid-Miocene were compiled. A series of maps have been constructed at 2 million year intervals from this data and used to complete an animation depicting the evolution of the regional sedimentary and magmatic systems. Palinspastic paleogeographic regional maps by Pindell and Tabbutt, 1995 were used to delineate the region to be investigated. These maps depict marine, continental, and magmatic environments from 245 Ma through 1.7 Ma at ~20 million year time intervals. Figure 2 is a representative maps from Pindell and Tabbutt showing these delineation’s. These maps do not distinguish between the various sedimentary lithologies deposited nor indicate the location and timing of magmatic emplacements which are important for this study. The lack of temporal resolution to intervals smaller than 20 million years was also an important factor in undertaking this project. Sediment isopach maps like figure 3, (Printz et al, 1994) were used to constrain the boundaries between sedimentary environments and areas undergoing active erosion. Future sites of several porphyry copper deposits were plotted on this map to examine the sediment thickness through which the magmatic systems passed and potentially interacted. From figure 3, it can be seen that during the Oxfordian age in the Jurassic, (159 to 154 Ma) a sedimentary basin was actively accumulating sediments. Individual depocenters within the basin show variations in the sediment thickness during this 5 million year interval. These variations are caused by structures which were active during the sediment accumulation. These structures continued to be active throughout the Jurassic and helped to constrain sediment lithologies and their distributions in this area. Maps depicting large scale events such as figure 4, taken from Marquillas and Salfity, 1988, allowed for sedimentary systems to be correlated to regional and continental scales. In figure 4, Campanian age (~78 Ma) northern Chile and Argentina are shown at the end of a continental rifting stage. The sedimentary lithologies and their distributions were a direct response to large scale events such as the transgression depicted in figure 4. 3 Future emplacemen t site of: Chuquicamata Escondida El Salvador Figure 2. Middle to late Jurassic, (188 to 145 Ma) palinspastic paleogeographic map from Pindell and Tabbutt, 1994. Dark blue region represents shallow marine environment separated from the pacific ocean by a continuous volcanic arc (green). Marginal basin has good connection with ocean to the North. Colors and future emplacement sites of porphyry copper deposits added by the authors for this study. 4 C hu qu ica ma ta Sa l ar d e A ta ca ma Es co nd id a El S al va do r Figure 12. Isopach map of northern Chile representing sediments of Oxfordian age, (159 to 154 Ma) deposited in a sallow marine, marginal basin (Prinz et al, 1994). The isopach contours indicate the basin in connected with the ocean in the north and separated in the west by a volcanic arc. Future emplacement sites of the El Salvador, La Escondida, and Chuquicamata porphyry copper deposits were added by the authors. 5 C hu qu ica ma ta C al am a Esco nd id a E l Sal va do r Legend Ex pos ed Ar eas Sedim entar y Bas in s Cr etac eous -Eoc ene Magm atic Ar c Figure 4. Map of northern Chile and Argentina at the close of the Campanian age, (~78 Ma) depicting the end of a rifting stage from Marquillas and Salfity, 1988. Sub-basins are labeled: TC: Tres Cruzes, LO: Lomos de Olemedo, ER: El Rey, M: Metán, Al: Alemanía, S: Sey, A: Antofagasta. Colors and future porphyry copper deposit locations were added by the authors. Many world-class copper and gold deposits are located in the Andes of northern Chile, Argentina, and southern Bolivia (Petersen, 1999; Sillitoe and McKee, 1996; Vila, 1982). Magmatic activity since the early Jurassic is responsible for most of these mineral deposits as well as for the grandeur of the Andean mountains. Some of the major Chilean copper deposits are plotted on figures 1, 2, and 3 to show the proximity of sedimentary units and depositional basins to these later magmatic emplacements. Recently, workers have indicated a potential link between specific sedimentary intervals containing evaporite minerals and economically important copper mineralization in several Chilean porphyry copper deposit (Arcuri and Brimhall, 2000). Occurrences of evaporite lithologies in late-Jurassic, early-Cretaceous, and mid-Tertiary sediments have been documented at various locations throughout the study region (Ardill et al, 1998; Bell, 1989; Flint et al, 1986; Printz et al, 1994; Suarez and Bell, 1987; Suarez et al, 1985). It is these sequences which were investigated for their depositional location, lateral extent, and potential interaction with later magmatic systems. 6 Data Collection Data was collected from a variety of sources including fieldwork, published articles, and corporate archives of Codelco, Chile. Vast quantities of data were collected in forms such as stratagraphic columns, geological maps, lithologic facies maps, magmatic emplacement ages, volcanic ash ages, and mineralization ages. Field data was collected over a two-month period in late 1999 while library and corporate archive investigations took place throughout 1999, 2000, and early 2001. A complete bibliography of all compiled data is presented at the end of the animation and is also available for download at the author’s web site at: http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu:80/~tarcuri/. Extrapolation between data points and interpolations through time were done using a facies transition model developed for this project.
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